FREDERICTON (CNB) - A new online electronic map-staking system for mineral claims is now accessible to the public, Natural Resources Minister Wally Stiles announced today.
"NB e-Claims provides people with the ability to stake a claim in New Brunswick from anywhere in the world using the Internet," said Stiles. "This system has modernized the province's process for mineral claim staking while addressing New Brunswickers' concerns about prospectors being able to stake a claim without first notifying the property owner."
The NB e-Claims system represents an investment of $1.25 million. It allows for online viewing of mineral-claim information as well as the online acquisition and maintenance of mineral claims. Payment of fees and deposits related to mineral claims will also be done online.
Stiles said the Internet-based system has been designed to allow the acquisition and recording of a claim within a few minutes.
"With this investment, our government has taken the system of staking a claim from pounding a stake into the ground to a few keystrokes on a computer keyboard," he said. "It is a modern system that will provide benefits for industry, landowners and government."
About 30,000 mineral claims are staked in the province. In 2008, about $31 million was invested by industry searching for minerals, while the value of mineral production reached almost $1.4 billion.
The e-Claims system can be found on the department's website. A person must hold a valid New Brunswick prospector's licence to stake a claim.
LINK:
- Department of Natural Resources, Minerals and Petroleum Development Branch: www.gnb.ca/minerals
18-05-10